Both teams in the Stars and Stripes had success swinging the bat in an offensive slugfest, seeing 23 total hits and a combined 14 runs in the third game of the Stars vs. Stripes series on Thursday afternoon at Thomas Brooks Park.

The Stripes’ Carlo Rivero got the nod to start on the bump and did not disappoint, registering three straight strikeouts on only 13 pitches to finish off the top of the first inning.

Capitalizing off of Rivero’s efforts on the mound, the Stripes offense caught fire early as Ahmi Hale drove in Joshua Pierre on a double. Rivero displayed his versatility and kept the rally going with a double of his own to push another run home. Rivero would later cross the plate to register another run for the Stripes after tagging up on a Gianni Donati fly ball to push the lead to 3-0.

The Stripes would go on to add another run in the bottom of the second on a Joshua Pierre RBI single. In the top of the fifth inning the Stars notched its first run of the game after Ethan Palacios scored on a wild pitch. The Stars added a second run to cut the deficit to two and eventually tied the ball game after Sevastian Bojorquez slashed a two-run single, moving the score to 4-4.

Holding the Stripes to a scoreless fifth frame, the Stars claimed their first lead of the day via a Palacios single, driving Clayton Ratliff across the plate.

The Stripes responded in a big way to end the sixth, scoring three runs which was capped off by an Andres Rodriguez bunt to push the score to 7-5.

The Stars attempted a comeback late in the seventh frame and added a run after Noah Henderson hit an RBI single. The Stripes’ Jayden Portes secured the win, punching a run home in the bottom of the seventh to put things out of reach.

The Stars and Stripes will face off again on Friday at Thomas Brooks Park starting at 8:00 a.m. to complete the four-game series.